2 Most Important Home Cleaning Tools

 

 

Keeping a clean and organized home is essential to your efficiency, if not your sanity!

Your living space — whether it’s a studio apartment you share with a roommate, or a large lifestyle estate that you have to yourself — serves as the foundation from which you build your many successes in life. The stronger your foundation, the stronger your successes.

Keeping your living space clean and organized is easier said than done. It helps to have the right tools. If you have the right tools, you’ll use them. If you don’t, you’ll put off cleaning and organizing, and this will, in turn, impact every area of your life.

Having the Right Tools to Clean Your Home (it makes all the difference!)

Among cleaning tools, two are particularly important to you. And they’re probably not what you think! Here’s a hint: it’s all about gravity.

Dust and dirt follow the law of gravity — eventually, everything undesirable will find its way down.

As particles become smaller and smaller, they will become airborne with the slightest breeze or movement, and float still further down again. This means, that you must look to your floors and carpets. That’s where every thing unappealing ends up (and if I told you what dust really is, you might become disgusted and stop reading, so I’ll spare you the gory details. I also won’t tell you what microorganisms and substances we drag into our home from the outside world on the soles of our shoes)!

I encourage you to invest in these two quality home cleaning tools:

Home Cleaning Tool #1: A Comfortable Pair of Kneepads

That’s right, you heard me correctly. Every home should have a pair of good knee pads tucked away somewhere and readily available.

Here’s the deal: I have all kinds of state-of-the-art cleaning tools and natural solvents, but still — sometimes I feel like I’m just pushing the dirt around. Over the years, I’ve found that the best way to get something done, is to get down on my hands and knees and put some ‘elbow grease’ into it! Hence, my belief in knee pads.

I like the feeling of satisfaction from doing a job well and using the right tools. Whether you’re weeding the garden, removing a motor oil spill from the garage, or making your kitchen floor shine, a good pair of pads can make all the difference on your knees — and they help make the task a lot more enjoyable.

Personally, I like the foam ones. They’re light but durable (I’ve had the same pair for many years). And since most brands sell for under 9 bucks, they’re a pretty good value, too.

“…if I told you what dust really is,
you might become disgusted and stop reading,
so I’ll spare you the gory details”

The thing about mops is, they really just move the dirt from one place to another. I do use mops in my home for in-between cleanings, but most of the time I find it’s more effective to just pop on the knee pads and go for a good old-fashioned scrubbing, using rubber gloves, microfiber cloths, and a bucket with hot, soapy water. This may sound corny, but I swear to you the feeling of satisfaction after this particular chore is… empowering!

Home Cleaning Tool #2: An Excellent Vacuum

I had a funny conversation recently with a colleague who was telling a light-hearted story about his bride who had purchased a vacuum cleaner that he thought was absurdly expensive. I met his gaze directly and offered this:  “she was absolutely right.”

If the vacuum is under a good warranty and it’s of exceptional quality, then it will last for years and years.  It’s all about the suction power. You want an outstanding vacuum that will pull up the dust, dirt, and hair from your furniture, your rugs, and every crevice in your home.

By the way, my colleague just rolled his eyes and replied “you two are made for each other!”

At our home, I use a special industrial-strength backpack vacuum. It looks like a jet-pack! I even use it outdoors on the patio. It’s super, super strong and can suck up anything. But you don’t need a backpack vacuum — any good upright is fine — but do invest in a good one. If your upright doesn’t have a powerful hose attachment, than you’ll need an additional mini-handheld vacuum. But it had better be strong!

What am I missing? Is there a particular tool that’s been an organizing lifesaver for keeping your home tidy and neatly arranged? I invite you to share your comments in the section provided below.